Positioning device for end loop forming means for spring coiling machine



l 1964 R. GATTI 3,150,695

POSITIONING DEVICE FOR END LOOP FORMING MEANS FOR SPRING comm; MACHINE Filed Oct. 51, 1961 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR Rosam- L. GATr/ BY jade/01w ATTORNEYS p 1964 R. L. GATT! 3,150,695

POSITIONING DEVICE FOR END LOOP FORMING MEANS FOR SPRING comm: MACHINE Filed Oct. 51. 1961 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENIOR ROBERT L. GATT/ ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,150,695 POSITIONING DEVICE FOR END LOOP FORMING MEANS FOR SPRING COILING MACHINE Robert L. Gatti, Bristol, Comm, assignor to Associated Spring Corporation, Bristol, Conn., a corporation of Delaware Filed Oct. 31, 1961, Ser. No. 149,124 2 Claims. (Cl. 140-103) This invention relates broadly to machines for winding helical coil springs and, more particularly, to such machines and parts thereof for forming an end loop on both ends of such a spring.

In the co-pending application of Joseph Angelillo, Serial No. 144,414, filed October 11, 1961, for Transfer Attachment For Spring Winding Machines, there is disclosed and claimed a device for addition to a machine for coiling helical spring, which device is operable to move the coiled spring from the coiling station of the machine to a position or station removed therefrom at which a secondary operation, such as the formation of an end loop, is performed. A spring coiling machine provided with such a transfer device and with end loop forming means at the secondary operation station is operable to form and end loop on both ends of a spring coil, the first end loop being formed at the coiling station before the coiling operation and the second end loop being formed at the station to which the coiled spring is moved by the transfer device.

It is often important that the two end loops on a spring have a pre-determined angular relation to each other. For example, it may be desired or necessary that they lie in the same plane or be at right angles, or at some other angle, to each other. It is, accordingly, the principal object of this invention to provide means co-operating with the transfer device provided by the Angelillo invention for causing the end loops on the two ends of a coiled spring to lie in any desired angular relation to each other.

The invention is described in the following specification and is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of parts of a machine for forming a helical coil spring and forming an end loop on each end thereof, including the means provided by this invention for angularly adjusting the spring;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of par-ts of a transfer device for a spring coiling machine, these parts being provided with the members provided by this invention for engaging and rotating the coil spring;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the parts shown in FIG. 2 after having grasped the coil spring, and

FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a modified form of the invention.v

This invention provides a modification of, or addition to, the transfer device described and claims in the copending application of Joseph Angelillo which is referred to above. This transfer device comprises a carriage which is mounted for movement toward and away from the coiling station of a machine for coiling helical springs, and on which there are pivotally mounted a pair of jaws which are operable to grasp a spring after coiling and cut-off and, by movement of the carriage, transfer it to a position removed from the coiling station, where an operation is performed on one of its ends, such as the formation of an end loop. In the drawings there is shown a spring coiling mechanism comprising the rolls 2, 4 for moving wire 6 against a coiling point (not shown) to form a helical coil spring. These parts are conventional. In addition, there is shown in FIG. 1 a transfer device as provided by the Angelillo invention, comprising a carriage 10 which is pivotally mounted at 12 for 3,150,695 Patented Sept. 29, 1964 movement by piston rod 14 from a position at the coiling station, at which its jaws 16, 18 may engage and grasp the coiled spring, to a second location removed from the coiling station, at which a secondary operation may be performed on the spring by tools 20, 22.

The jaws 16, 18 of the transfer device must, of course, be operated toward and away from each other to grasp the severed spring after coiling and cut-off, hold it during transfer and secondary operation, release it after such operation, and finally return to the coiling station in open position ready to receive the next spring which has been formed at the coiling station and is ready for transfer to the secondary operation station. The means for operating the jaws in this sequence form no part of this invention and could be any such conventional system as a source of fluid under pressure, levers for operating the jaws, a cylinder and piston device for operating the levers, a valve for distributing fluid under pressure to the cylinder, and means for operatng the valve. Reference is made here to the aforesaid co-pending application for the disclosure of parts of such a system for operating the jaws, these and the other parts being entirely conventional.

In a coiling machine of the type to which this invention relates and which includes the Angelillo transfer device, means are provided at the coiling station for forming and end loop on the first, or front, end of the spring. These end loop forming means are operable to form the end loop before the body of the spring is coiled and such means are conventional and form no part of this invention. However, after the formation of an end loop on the front end of the coil, it is often desired to form an end loop on the second, or rear, end of the spring and this is done at the station to which the spring is moved by the transfer device.

Means are provided by the invention for addition to the transfer device described and claimed in the aforesaid co-pending application for adjusting the formed spring coil about its axis so that when it reaches the station at which the end loop is to be formed on its rear end it will be so positioned that such end loop will have any desired angular relation to the end loop formed on the front end of the spring at the coiling station. Such means comprise the positioning devices 30, 32 which are mounted, respectively, on the jaws 16, 18 of the transfer device and, preferably, are mounted on the outer surfaces of the side walls of the jaws, each being mounted by means of a set screw 34 which is threaded into the jaw and extends through an elongated aperture 36 in the positioning device, by means of which an adjusting movement of each positioning device is permitted. The lower part of each positioning device is flat as shown at 38 and lies in face-to-face engagement with the outer surface of the jaw member. The upper part of each positioning device has a fiat part 4!) lying in face-to-face engagement with the fiat outer surface of the side wall of the jaw member, and an iii-turned part 42. The two in-turned parts 42 of the two positioning devices present two parallel, spaced surfaces 44 which are opposed to each other and are parallel to the line of movement of the transfer device as it moves between the coiling station and the secondary forming station. The in-turned parts 42 of the two positioning devices are of such dimensions that 3 cut-off occurs and the transfer device moves the coil spring from the coiling station to the second station at which second end loop is to be formed on the rear end of the spring.

In the operation of the means provided by the present invention, the opposed surfaces 44 of the positioning device engage the end loop on the front end of the spring as the jaws 16, 18 move toward each other to grasp the spring. The pressure of the surfaces 44 on the end loop causes the coil spring to rotate about its axis until the end loop lies between and is parallel with the surfaces 44, whereby the spring coil is held by the jaws in a pre-determined angular position about its axis. Thus, when the spring coil arrives at the secondary operation station, at which an end loop is to be formed on its rear end the forming tools at such station will form the end loop on the rear end of the coil in a definite angular relation to the end loop on the front end of the coil because of the fact that the coil is positioned in a predetermined angular position about its axis by the opposed surfaces 44 on the two positioning devices.

In the embodiment of the invention described above the surfaces 44 on the positioning device are parallel to each other and aligned with the direction of movement of the transfer device. With normally positioned forming tools at the secondary operation station this position and relation of these opposed surfaces result in the formation of two end loops lying in the same plane. However, it may be desired to have the end loops in planes at some angular relation to each other other than parallel, and in FIG. 4 of the drawings there are disclosed positioning devices according to the invention for forming end loops lying at right angles to each other. These positioning devices are attached to the outer surfaces of the side walls of the jaws 16, 18 in the same manner as those described above but instead of being provided with opposed, spaced surfaces 44 which are parallel to each other and parallel also to the direction of movement of the transfer device, as in FIGS. 1 to 3, these positioning devices are provided with opposed, spaced parallel surfaces 50, 52 which are at right angles to the line of movement of the transfer device. The jaws 16, 18 shown in FIG. 4, to which the positioning devices are attached, move toward and away from each other in the operation of the transfer device and, as they move in this-way, the surfaces 50, 52 move toward and away from each other to engage the end loop on the front end of the spring and rotate the coiled spring about its axis to a perdetermined position with respect to the forming tools at the secondary operation station.

If the forming tools at the secondary operation station are positioned in the same way as those described above, the positioning devices disclosed in FIG. 4 will hold the coiled spring in such an angular position about its axis that the end loop formed at the secondary operation station will be at right angles to that formed at the coiling station. Obviously, the two end loops may be formed at any desired angular relation to each other by adjusting the angular relation of the spaced, parallel, loop-engaging surfaces of the positioning devices with respect to the position of the forming tools at the secondary operation station. Thus, the invention provides means for form ing end loops having gany desired and predetermined angular relation with respect to each other.

While I have described and illustrated certain embodiments of my invention, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that other embodiments, as well as modifications of those disclosed, may be made and practiced without departing in any way from the spirit or scope of the invention, for the limits of which reference must be made to the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

l. A machine for forming a helical extension spring having end loops lying in planes having a predetermined angular relation to each other, comprising means at a first location for forming wire into a helix having on its one end an end loop extending outwardly from the end convolution of the helix, means for cutting the helix from the wire, transfer means for grasping the cut-off helix and moving it from said first location to a second location remote from the first location at which an end loop is formed on the second end of the helix, and means on said transfer means for engaging the sides of the end loop on the first end of the helix and rotating it and the helix about the axis of the helix to a predetermined position whereby the end loop formed on the second end of the helix will have a predetermined angular relation to that on the first end of the helix.

2. A machine for forming a helical extension spring having end loops lying in planes having a predetermined angular relation to each other, comprising means at a first location for forming wire into a helix having on its one end an end loop extending outwardly from the end convolution of the helix, means for cutting the helix from the wire, means at a second location remote from the first location for forming an end loop on the second end of the helix, a transfer device having mounted thereon a pair of relatively movable jaws, said transfer device being pivotally mounted for movement to two positions in which, respectively, the jaws are operably positioned to grasp a helix formed at the first location and are operably positioned to hold the helix at the second location for the formation of a second end loop thereon, and means on said jaws for positioning the helix at a predetermined position about its axis whereby the end loop formed at the second location will have a predetermined angular relation to that on the first end of the helix, said positioning means comprising two cooperating members, one on each of said jaws, having parallel opposed surfaces which, as the jaws grasp the helix at the first location, engage the opposite sides of the end loop formed at the first location and turn the helix to the predetermined position about its axis.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,051,497 Harter Jan. 28, 1913 1,691,497 Rowe July 23, 1927 2,679,684 Fagan June 1, 1954 

1. A MACHINE FOR FORMING A HELICAL EXTENSION SPRING HAVING END LOOPS LYING IN PLANES HAVING A PREDETERMINED ANGULAR RELATION TO EACH OTHER, COMPRISING MEANS AT A FIRST LOCATION FOR FORMING WIRE INTO A HELIX HAVING ON ITS ONE END AN END LOOP EXTENDING OUTWARDLY FROM THE END CONVOLUTION OF THE HELIX, MEANS FOR CUTTING THE HELIX FROM THE WIRE, TRANSFER MEANS FOR GRASPING THE CUT-OFF HELIX AND MOVING IT FROM SAID FIRST LOCATION TO A SECOND LOCATION REMOTE FROM THE FIRST LOCATION AT WHICH AN END LOOP IS FORMED ON THE SECOND END OF THE HELIX, AND MEANS ON SAID TRANSFER MEANS FOR ENGAGING THE SIDES OF THE END LOOP ON THE FIRST END OF THE HELIX AND ROTATING IT AND THE HELIX ABOUT THE AXIS OF THE HELIX TO A PREDETERMINED POSITION WHEREBY THE END LOOP FORMED ON THE SECOND END OF THE HELIX WILL HAVE A PREDETERMINED ANGULAR RELATION TO THAT ON THE FIRST END OF THE HELIX. 